Beginning

9 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. On the death of Labben. A psalm of David:

^2 (1) I give thanks to Adonai with all my heart.
I will tell about all your wonderful deeds.
^3 (2) I will be glad and exult in you.
I will sing praise to your name, ‘Elyon.

^4 (3) When my enemies turn back,
they stumble and perish before you.
^5 (4) For you upheld my cause as just,
sitting on the throne as the righteous judge.

^6 (5) You rebuked the nations, destroyed the wicked,
blotted out their name forever and ever.
^7 (6) The enemy is finished, in ruins forever;
you destroyed their cities; all memory of them is lost.

^8 (7) But Adonai is enthroned forever;
he has set up his throne for judgment.
^9 (8) He will judge the world in righteousness;
he will judge the peoples fairly.

^10 (9) Adonai is a stronghold for the oppressed,
a tower of strength in times of trouble.
^11 (10) Those who know your name put their trust in you,
for you have not abandoned those who seek you, Adonai.

^12 (11) Sing praises to Adonai, who lives in Tziyon;
proclaim his deeds among the peoples.
^13 (12) For the avenger of blood remembers them,
he does not ignore the cry of the afflicted:

^14 (13) “Have mercy on me, Adonai!
See how I suffer from those who hate me;
you raise me from the gates of death,
^15 (14) so that I can proclaim all your praises
at the gates of the daughter of Tziyon
and rejoice in this deliverance of yours.”

^16 (15) The nations have drowned in the pit they dug,
caught their own feet in the net they hid.
^17 (16) Adonai made himself known and executed judgment;
the wicked are ensnared in the work of their own hands. (Higgayon; Selah)

^18 (17) The wicked will return to Sh’ol,
all the nations that forget God.

^19 (18) For the poor will not always be forgotten
or the hope of the needy perish forever.

^20 (19) Arise, Adonai! Don’t let mortals prevail!
Let the nations be judged in your presence.
^21 (20) Strike them with terror, Adonai!
Let the nations know they are only human. (Selah)

10 Why, Adonai, do you stand at a distance?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
² The wicked in their arrogance hunt down the poor,
who get caught in the schemes they think up.

³ For the wicked boasts about his lusts;
he blesses greed and despises Adonai.
⁴ Every scheme of the wicked in his arrogance [says],
“There is no God, [so] it won’t be held against me.”
⁵ His ways prosper at all times.
Your judgments are way up there,
so he takes no notice.
His adversaries? He scoffs at them all.
⁶ In his heart he thinks, “I will never be shaken;
I won’t meet trouble, not now or ever.”
⁷ His mouth is full of curses, deceit, oppression;
under his tongue, mischief and injustice.
⁸ He waits near settlements in ambush
and kills an innocent man in secret;
his eyes are on the hunt for the helpless.
⁹ Lurking unseen like a lion in his lair,
he lies in wait to pounce on the poor,
then seizes the poor and drags him off in his net.
¹⁰ Yes, he stoops, crouches down low;
and the helpless wretch falls into his clutches.
¹¹ He says in his heart, “God forgets,
he hides his face, he will never see.”

¹² Arise, Adonai! God, raise your hand!
Don’t forget the humble!
¹³ Why does the wicked despise God
and say in his heart, “It won’t be held against me”?
¹⁴ You have seen; for you look at mischief and grief,
so that you can take the matter in hand.
The helpless commits himself to you;
you help the fatherless.
¹⁵ Break the arm of the wicked!
As for the evil man,
search out his wickedness
until there is none left.

¹⁶ Adonai is king forever and ever!
The nations have vanished from his land.
¹⁷ Adonai, you have heard what the humble want;
you encourage them and listen to them,
¹⁸ to give justice to the fatherless and oppressed,
so that no one on earth will strike terror again.

11 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. By David:

⁽¹⁾ In Adonai I find refuge.
So how can you say to me,
“Flee like a bird to the mountains!
² See how the wicked are drawing their bows
and setting their arrows on the string,
to shoot from the shadows at honest men.
³ If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”

⁴ Adonai is in his holy temple.
Adonai, his throne is in heaven.
His eyes see and test humankind.
⁵ Adonai tests the righteous;
but he hates the wicked and the lover of violence.
⁶ He will rain hot coals down on the wicked,
fire, sulfur and scorching wind
will be what they get to drink.
⁷ For Adonai is righteous;
he loves righteousness;
the upright will see his face.

12 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. On sh’minit [low-pitched musical instruments?]. A psalm of David:

^2 (1) Help, Adonai! For no one godly is left;
the faithful have vanished from humankind.
^3 (2) They all tell lies to each other,
flattering with their lips, but speaking from divided hearts.

^4 (3) May Adonai cut off all flattering lips
and the tongue that speaks so proudly,
^5 (4) those who say, “By our tongues, we will prevail;
our lips are with us. Who can master us?”
^6 (5) “Because the poor are oppressed,
because the needy are groaning,
I will now rise up,” says Adonai,
“and grant security to those whom they scorn.”
^7 (6) The words of Adonai are pure words,
silver in a melting-pot set in the earth,
refined and purified seven times over.

^8 (7) You, Adonai, protect us;
guard us forever from this generation —
^9 (8) the wicked strut about everywhere
when vileness is held in general esteem.

13 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. A psalm of David:

^2 (1) How long, Adonai?
Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
^3 (2) How long must I keep asking myself what to do,
with sorrow in my heart every day?
How long must my enemy dominate me?

^4 (3) Look, and answer me, Adonai my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death.
^5 (4) Then my enemy would say, “I was able to beat him”;
and my adversaries would rejoice at my downfall.

^6 (5) But I trust in your grace,
my heart rejoices as you bring me to safety.
⁽⁶⁾ I will sing to Adonai, because he gives me
even more than I need.

14 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. By David:

⁽¹⁾ Fools say in their hearts,
“There is no God.”
They deal corruptly, their deeds are vile,
not one does what is right.

² From heaven Adonai observes humankind
to see if anyone has understanding,
if anyone seeks God.
³ But all turn aside, all alike are corrupt;
no one does what is right,
not a single one.
⁴ Don’t they ever learn,
all those evildoers,
who eat up my people as if eating bread
and never call on Adonai?
⁵ There they are, utterly terrified;
for God is with those who are righteous.
⁶ You may mock the plans of the poor,
but their refuge is Adonai.

⁷ How I wish Isra’el’s salvation
would come out of Tziyon!
When Adonai restores his people’s fortunes,
Ya‘akov will rejoice, Isra’el will be glad!

15 ⁽⁰⁾ A psalm of David:

⁽¹⁾ Adonai, who can rest in your tent?
Who can live on your holy mountain?

² Those who live a blameless life,
who behave uprightly,
who speak truth from their hearts
³ and keep their tongues from slander;
who never do harm to others
or seek to discredit neighbors;
⁴ who look with scorn on the vile,
but honor those who fear Adonai;
who hold to an oath, no matter the cost;
⁵ who refuse usury when they lend money
and refuse a bribe to damage the innocent.

Those who do these things
never will be moved.

16 ⁽⁰⁾ Mikhtam. By David:

⁽¹⁾ Protect me, God,
for you are my refuge.
² I said to Adonai, “You are my Lord;
I have nothing good outside of you.”
³ The holy people in the land are the ones
who are worthy of honor; all my pleasure is in them.

⁴ Those who run after another god
multiply their sorrows;
To such gods I will not offer
drink offerings of blood
or take their names on my lips.

⁵ Adonai, my assigned portion, my cup:
you safeguard my share.
⁶ Pleasant places were measured out for me;
I am content with my heritage.

⁷ I bless Adonai, my counselor;
at night my inmost being instructs me.
⁸ I always set Adonai before me;
with him at my right hand, I can never be moved;
⁹ so my heart is glad, my glory rejoices,
and my body too rests in safety;
¹⁰ for you will not abandon me to Sh’ol,
you will not let your faithful one see the Abyss.
¹¹ You make me know the path of life;
in your presence is unbounded joy,
in your right hand eternal delight.